our next guest, mark gunsinger argues that directed energy systems have many uses and are far more ready for operational use than critics suggest. he is the co-author of a new report, changing the game, the promise of directed energy objectives. welcome to the show. >> thank you, vago. >> what are the cost of directed energy systems over conventional ones. >> frankly conventional weapons are expendable and cost millions of dollars each. frankly defense based solely on those offenses may not be affordable. in fact a pac 3 -- >> patriot accessibility missile. >> yes exactly and it is billions of dollars each. and imagine it coming at one of our bases in the pacific. countering those missiles with those kind of defenses can cost the american taxpayer hundreds of millions of dollars and over a campaign simply not affordable. >> and you run out of the defensive missiles. so it is not just that they are 3 million or $9 million each but you can't produce them from enemies, like china, will rain on any of our targets. >> and we have to resupply our defenses with those missiles using lines of sup